The House of Representatives has adjourned for the 2010 session. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:
End of Session Legislative Report Prepared by House Republican Caucus: The House Republican Caucus recently prepared an end of session report which can be accessed by clicking here. This report is different in some ways from the end of session update that I provide at my town hall meetings and while speaking to groups around the district. You may notice that a number of bills did not make it out of the Senate: That is not because of a lack of effort to support many of those bills by our local Aiken County Senators Greg Ryberg and Shane Massey. If you have questions or comments about anything in the Republican Caucus report, please contact me.
Education – Generational Poverty and Lack of Parental Involvement: In the past few updates, I have provided alarming statistics on reading. Many of the problems that we face in our state and nation stem from the problems arising out of (1) generational poverty and (2) lack of parental involvement with their children while in K-12. I am interested in your thoughts on how best to confront these age-old problems. If you have some, please contact me.
Passing of Representative Bill Wylie: On Saturday, September 11, Rep. Bill Wylie ( R) from Greenville passed away suddenly at the age of 70. Bill and I entered the House together as Freshmen last year in January 2009. We worked together on a number of bills to improve the state and the legislative process. In fact, Bill was a cosponsor of the high school dropout bill and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that this bill got out of the Education Committee and passed the House to get to the Senate this past session. In recent months, Bill and I had discussed a plan for the upcoming 2011 session to address the problems with the state’s retirement system and pension fund. Bill’s leadership, energy, and wisdom will be missed by many.
Planning for the 2011 Legislative Session: The 2011 legislative session will convene on the second Tuesday in January. I am seeking input from constituents on the critical issues facing our state and area including tax reform; spending reform; K-12 education; the costs of higher education; health care; immigration; economic development; job growth; and the underfund liabilities in our state’s retirement systems. Your input is welcome on any issue important to you. Please email me back or contact me by phone or in person at your convenience.
Grass Cutting in the SCDOT Right of Way: Since my last report, many of the areas of high grass have been addressed by the SCDOT. Nevertheless, if you are aware of an area where high grass is obstructing vision for drivers as they enter or exit certain roads in our County, please call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or let me know and I will pass on the information.
Congratulations to Nick Kiraly: District 81 resident Nick Kiraly was recently informed that he is being inducted into the National Air Commando Hall of Fame in October. Mr. Kiraly is recognized for his significant contributions to worldwide special operations over a long period of time while stationed in multiple locations around the world.
Thoroughbred Country – South Carolina Regional Tourism Organization: If you are interested in learning more about tourism attractions, services, and programs in the four county region of Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, and Barnwell, visit www.tbredcountry.org.
Frequency of My Updates: Since the legislature is not in session, my updates will not come every Monday as they do during session. I will strive to provide an update each week. However, there may be some weeks where I combine two weeks of updates into one. The frequency will be back to every week when the legislature reconvenes in January.
Speaking to Groups Around the District: Several local groups have asked me to attend one of their meetings to provide an end of session report to their members. If you have a group that would like for me to come to a meeting during the next few months, please let me know. Recently, I spoke to the Aiken Estates Neighborhood Association and both Rotary Clubs in Aiken.
Email Updates: Many people in District 81 are receiving this email update. However, there are many others who do not receive them because I do not know their email addresses. If you know of people who do not receive my updates but they would like to, please email their names and email addresses to me.
Road Issues: If you see a road problem, you can call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or Aiken County at 642-1532 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please let me know at TomYoung@schouse.gov or call me. In the past eight and a half months, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way or if you have questions about these or other issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.
Sincerely,
Tom Young
649-0000 (o)
215-3631 (cell)
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